Secrets of milonga dancing

larrynla

larrynla

Member
Looking back over the last couple dozen threads I see almost no mention of milongas. Do you do them? Any secrets of how to do them, and well, which you want to mention?

Here is an example of a performance by my favorite tango nuevo dancers, Sebastian Arce and Mariana Montes. I love their footwork. I also like how compact their embrace and movements are – with two or three exceptions no move intrudes into what on a packed floor would be someone else's space.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LR-Us0-a48

Larry de Los Angeles
 
larrynla said:
Looking back over the last couple dozen threads I see almost no mention of milongas. Do you do them? Any secrets of how to do them, and well, which you want to mention?
Click to expand...


I dance milonga all the time. Ampster's milonga rules of thumb:

  1. Use the same steps for tango as you would in milonga
  2. Apat your tango technique to milonga
  3. Dance smaller, which allows you to dance faster
  4. Keep it simple as possible
  5. Listen and dance rhythmically to the music (very, very important)
  6. Keep the connection constant with your partner. Don't break the embrace
  7. Dance at a comfortable pace for your partner
  8. Be smooth. Don't use your arms, don't bounce, and ground your steps
 
bordertangoman said:
i prefer this

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlU0uWLW9lk&feature=related
Click to expand...


I love it Thanks!

However there are characteristics that make this performance more suited to a show than the social dance floor, which all add up to "takes up a lot of space, with back kicks that could hurt someone."

I want to emphasize that I don't think tango show dancing is any less valid tango than tango social dancing. I find that kind of snobbery ridiculous.


Larry de Los Angeles
http://shapechangers.wordpress.com
 
dchester said:
Here is one that I like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kmqbQTUlk
Click to expand...
dchester, I love this one! (It helps that I love that song, heehee.)

As a follower, I do NOT like to dance in a milonga the same sorts of steps that I dance in a tango. I prefer to avoid anything like boleos, ganchos, leg wraps, volcadas, etc. I will make exceptions for certain leaders who can pull them off and have it feel natural, but mostly I avoid leaders who try these things. I like to focus on simple things like walking and ochos, but danced with a lot of focus on rhythm and musicality. I also enjoy leaders who dance milonga very grounded and with changes of height and a dynamic torso. (Those aren't terrible specific to milonga, I enjoy them in tango and vals as well, but I especially notice them in a milonga.) I also tend to prefer leaders who stick with stepping on each beat and traspie, but again there are exceptions for leaders who are particularly good at using pauses while maintaining the "feel" of dancing a milonga.
 
Love milonga.

Unfortunately, I don't find a lot a leaders who lead it well. At all. Fast tango abounds (and I realize what people here meant by that), but true milonga is lacking.

Edit to add: I wish more leaders could/would dance con traspie. The guys here don't do it. (Or at least not the ones who deign to dance with me.)

That said...still like it. Big, small; open, close...it's all good.
 
And if I might add, I had to work on my milonga the longest. I found it the hardest as my brain doesn't work as fast for the music.

My other secret here was perseverance.
 
larrynla said:
Looking back over the last couple dozen threads I see almost no mention of milongas. Do you do them? Any secrets of how to do them, and well, which you want to mention?
Click to expand...

There are absolutely no secrets to doing the milonga. Just one rule: stay on the beat of the song. (i.e. you wouldn't do a foxtrot to a Bob Marley track or a waltz to the Rolling Stones). Many leaders I dance with do salon type steps/vals rhythms/too many fancy moves to a milonga and miss the beat and spirit of the song altogether. Don't get bogged down with what others are doing (i.e. Youtube etc.) aS much of this displays tend to be choreographed. Just practice walking (back, front, side) to the beat of the song. Choose one you like and know well. In much the same way you drum your fingers on the table to your favourite pop or rock song. All of the women I have led have a superb sense of rhythm (beginners to advance) and so (for me) it's all in the lead. And remember the K.I.S.S. ruling: Keep It Simple Stupid. And fun. ;)
 
I like milonga, especially the newer stuff - Otros Aires for example.

Ampster said:
Use the same steps for tango as you would in milonga
Click to expand...
I'm sure proper Milonga dancers can do anything in Milonga that they do in Tango, but I just keep it extremely simple, mainly just forwards and side steps. No ochos, for example, although I do the occasional giro. Linear giros also work.
Ampster said:
Apat your tango technique to milonga
Click to expand...
Sort of. It's still a led dance, but there's more of a "step-on-the-beat" assumption built-in, which means you don't have to focus quite so much on leading each individual step.
Ampster said:
Dance smaller, which allows you to dance faster
Keep it simple as possible
Listen and dance rhythmically to the music (very, very important)
Click to expand...
Yes yes and yes :)

Ampster said:
Keep the connection constant with your partner. Don't break the embrace
Click to expand...
Depends - I sometime do a weird fusion-y thing to the aforementioned Otros Aires-y tracks, which incorporates some turns and other strange things. Is there an official "Nuevo Milonga" style?

Ampster said:
Dance at a comfortable pace for your partner
Be smooth. Don't use your arms, don't bounce, and ground your steps
Click to expand...
Always good advice :)
 
Dave Bailey said:
I like milonga, especially the newer stuff - Otros Aires for example.

I'm sure proper Milonga dancers can do anything in Milonga that they do in Tango, but I just keep it extremely simple, mainly just forwards and side steps. No ochos, for example, although I do the occasional giro. Linear giros also work.

/quote]

Yes, ditto. Keep it simple.

However even then the big challenge for me is not to dance every beat - it's just too tiring - instead to interpret the music at a slower rhythm ...
Click to expand...
 
Aurora said:
dchester, I love this one! (It helps that I love that song, heehee.)

As a follower, I do NOT like to dance in a milonga the same sorts of steps that I dance in a tango. I prefer to avoid anything like boleos, ganchos, leg wraps, volcadas, etc. I will make exceptions for certain leaders who can pull them off and have it feel natural, but mostly I avoid leaders who try these things. I like to focus on simple things like walking and ochos, but danced with a lot of focus on rhythm and musicality. I also enjoy leaders who dance milonga very grounded and with changes of height and a dynamic torso. (Those aren't terrible specific to milonga, I enjoy them in tango and vals as well, but I especially notice them in a milonga.) I also tend to prefer leaders who stick with stepping on each beat and traspie, but again there are exceptions for leaders who are particularly good at using pauses while maintaining the "feel" of dancing a milonga.
Click to expand...
I agree with much of what you said. In milonga, I mostly do walking with some simple turns. On rare occasion I might throw in some ochos, but not very often. For me, how often I do traspies depends a lot on the song. Obviously, it's easier to lead them in the slower milongas, but if my mood (a function of how I'm doing, the follower, and the song) is good, I'll do traspies in fast milongas as well. I almost never will do a pause.

It's strange, but despite milonga being a faster dance, at some point it seemed to get much easier for me than tango or vals (possibly because I'm doing simpler steps). Of course I'm never sure if the followers think I'm doing better, or just being polite. In any case, they continue to dance with me (so there's hope).
 
Rarely do ochos in Milonga; its that first turn for the woman that's difficult to lead, once started its a doddle but it helps if one can do contra beat steps; two for each ocho.
 
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